Thirteen Reasons Why

Title: Thirteen Reasons Why
Author: Jay Asher
Characters: Clay, Hannah
Setting: Crestmont
Book Length: 288 Pages
Summary: Clay finds a mysterious package on his doorstep one day, with no return address. When opened he finds cassette tapes. He plays these tapes and hears the voice of a dead girl. Hannah had killed herself just a few weeks ago, and now he is hearing her voice again. The tapes detail the thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself, and Clay follows them all over town on a night he will never forget. 

Okay, so as you can probably tell I don't read a lot of realistic fiction or contemporaries or anything like that. I've been hearing about this book for awhile now and when I saw it at a used bookstore for a good price, I said why not. Let's give it a try. Well, I am so glad I did! I loved this different format and it taught me a lot. Words do hurt people, and you can never know someone's full story. These are all lessons I had heard before, but this book forced me to take these messages to heart (In a good way). Thank you, Asher, for helping me to understand how I can be a better friend and person. I will never forget what this book taught me, and I will be forever grateful. I strongly recommend this book to anyone. 

 5 out of 5 stars!
Drop what you are doing and go read this book!

Pre-Order Gifts: SJM Month Post 5

Well as many of you know... Empire of Storms is coming!



With this beauty and Throne of Glass Coloring Book book on the way, there are some gifts that come if you pre-order these beauties!

If you submit your pre-order receipts here by September 5, 2016, you can receive some prizes!

For submitting an Empire of Storms pre-order receipt you can receive a Throne of Glass Notebook!
For submitting a Throne of Glass Coloring Book pre-order receipt, you can receive a set of Throne of Glass Colored Pencils!


I'm definitely going to do this to match my A Court of Thorns and Roses Tote Bag!


Have you received any pre-order gifts? Comment down below if you have!

A Court of Thorns and Roses: SJM Month Post 4

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses 
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Characters: Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien
Setting: Prythian
Book Length: 416 pages
Summary: In a fantastic retelling of Beauty and The Beast, Feyre is accidentally sucked into a world when she kills a Fae. She must save the man she can't help but fall for, if she herself is to survive. 

I honestly did not even know this was a retelling until someone told me. That's how different and special this story is. I loved it! Fast-paced with amazingly written characters. Boys are hot and sassy, a very good fictional combination. I would recommend to anyone who likes fantasy! 

Warning: Mild cursing but common romance. Read at your own discretion. 

 5 out of 5 Stars!
Drop what you are doing and go read this book!

What To Do at A Book Signing: SJM Month Post 3

Well... I have been to lots of book signings in my lifetime. I have become friends with most of the staff at my local Barnes and Noble. I have gotten lots of experience so I thought I would share. However, I am not an expert so if you have any tips leave them in the comments!

Step 1: Plan ahead!
     Check your local Barnes and Noble for any upcoming events. They may have a flyer or only events that are posted online. Make sure you know if it is a wrist-banded event or if you need to just show up.

Sub-Step 1:
     If it is a wrist-banded event, get there early! For most of my Sarah J Maas signings I get there early in the morning (sometimes there is even another signing) and I get my wristband. I am towards the front when I use this strategy. But when I went to a Marissa Meyer event back in February, I arrived at the store around 4 for a 6 or 7 o'clock signing and I was pretty far back in line. If you are okay with waiting in lines, you can come whenever but I know at my store there are sometimes upwards of 150 people in the line so I stick to the mornings.

Step 2: Don't forget the books!
     I pack my bag the night before a signing with all of my essentials. This is a list for an all day book store stop.

1.  Any books I need signed
2. Power Charger
3. Chapstick (Somehow my lips are always chapped)
4. Money for lunch at the Cafe or at the Food Court
5. Money for additional books that are required to get a wristband. And a Barnes and Noble coupon and card because books can get expensive!
6. Playing Cards
7. Phone
8. Perfume (You do not want to smell bad when you meet an author. It leaves a bad first impression)
9. Lotion (Sometimes you just need soft hands)
10. Anything else you think you need (Just don't bring too much! You will have to carry it around all day and while you are waiting in line)
11. Post-Its! (You use them to personalize your book and it is very helpful if you have your own!)

Step 3: Wear something comfortable!

     I try to wear something book related but sometimes that's just not possible! 

DO NOT wear itchy, or tight clothes. You will want to be able to move around freely. And you will probably be sitting most of the day so make sure you are comfortable in whatever you do wear!

Step 4: Arrival at the book store. 

     Find out where you need to be so you don't miss the signing. Find out if you need to buy anything. Buy it and sit where you need to be. Another bonus of getting to signings super early is a guaranteed seat, which is always nice!

Step 5: Make Friends!

     I have made some awesome friends through this process and they are always fun to talk to! Good job Molly, Shannon, and Lindsay! I can always count on them to be there and we save each other seats and stuff. They help pass the time and they give you a different perspective on a book, which personally I find very interesting because two people can read the same book and can get two different meanings out of it! If you are shy, I would recommend reading or playing cards because sometimes it is hard to approach someone. But we are all here for the same reason, so try and be nice to people and they will be nice in return (usually, sorry I can't make promises sometimes people are just mean :/ ).

(Photo Credit to Molly +LittleBlueBookworm )

Step 6: Ask Questions!

     While you are waiting, it may be nice to think of someone questions to ask the author(s). I love asking questions because most of the time, when you actually get the book signed, they will greatly appreciate it! Just try not to ask yes or no questions, it makes it less fun! My personal favorite question to ask is "The Hunger Games has a Mockingjay, and Harry Potter has the Deathly Hallows symbol. So what would your fandom symbol be?" or you could ask for advice on how to push through writer's block or how to find a good agent. Any question is acceptable!

I hope this was helpful! Comment down below some of the authors you've met or some you hope to meet! 

Meeting SJM: SJM Month Post 2

I love meeting authors! Barnes and Noble Neshaminy makes that possible for me with all of their author events!

On June 11th, right in the middle of BFest, Sarah J Maas and Julie Eshbaugh had a signing for the Ivory and Bone Launch! (Claire Legrand my other favorite author was there earlier in the day but that's a story for another day.) So on this particularly wonderful day, I sat on my 2nd row seat with a phone struggling to hang on at 1%. Then Sarah and Julie walked in! I start screaming and cheering and stuff. They sit down and had a really great panel/ Q and A session. I even got to ask a question, and Sarah was like "Why are you wearing the enemy's colors?" because I was wearing a Ravenclaw shirt even though I am a Hufflepuff (I still had my bracelet on but I am a hybrid Huffleclaw but like mostly Hufflepuff okay let me stop now.) So they answer my question and I won an Ivory and Bone poster because I was the first question! YAY!

Sarah is the funniest human alive if you guys aren't aware. I'm planning on getting her a Legolas pop when I see her in September because she is like obsessed with him! Eventually it's time for the signing!

I see Papa Maas in the signing line and I was like "I have to get a picture with you!" and he was like "You know who I am?" "Um... yea I do!" (um because I didn't want to sound like a stalkerish creep oops.)

So yea... Thanks Lindsay for being the real MVP while I waited for him to finish talking to one of the workers! Guys... Lindsay is the best! I hope you all find someone as good as Lindsay one day.

Okay so as Lindsay, Molly, and I waited in line we talked and talked. Then, we reached the front. It was finally time! Molly and my mom were our paparazzi as we talked to Julie first. She knew right away which one my mom was because we look so much alike and it was really cute.

Finally, I had reached Sarah! Her husband was sitting next to her and I was in awe of their cuteness. Because I talked so long with Julie, Sarah had already finished signing my books. I asked her to sign ACOMAF with "Be glad of your human heart" because that line is so sweet and it reminds me to feel (not that I don't, especially with her books, but it's still a good reminder). So when I saw that she actually signed it I was surprised because the store said she might not sign it due to time. "I didn't think you would actually sign that! Thank you!" She said "Of course I would sign it! Why wouldn't I?" "The store said you might not..." "Well, it wasn't a very long quote so I signed it!" (or something like that this part is a little fuzzy).

Then, I show her my picture with Emilie de Ravin (Belle on Once Upon A Time) and she said "I saw that you tagged me in that but I didn't know who that was so I looked her up. That's Belle right?" (!!!! She saw my post!!!!) "Yea it is! I met her last week at the Once Upon A Time Convention in Jersey!" "That's so cool!" "And that's your book! That's ACOMAF!" "What was she reading that she was so focused on?" "Chapter 37!" "I don't remember what's in that one." I just shrugged. But being the person I am, I showed her the rest of my pictures in my lovely OUAT binder. We got to the Eion Bailey (August on OUAT) autograph page and she said "Ooh. He's cute!" I said,"Yea! When I saw him he kissed my hair and was so sweet!" And her husband honestly said to me "You haven't washed your hair have you?" (I had but he was joking so I would go along with it.) "Nope!" We all laughed. Then I was taking so long I tried to hurry up. I asked her to sign my phone case because Claire had signed it earlier and I wanted mt two faves on it. So...

Then it came time for pictures and I asked for a group with her and her husband. And they were so cute and it turned out so good! She even liked it on my instagram! 

Then I asked for one with just Sarah. As I was walking away from it, because I am such an awkward turtle I said "I needed a new one with you because our last picture turned out bad because I was in it." Ugh. Why am I like this? Sorry about my weirdness Sarah! But this picture is for sure my favorite!

Thank you for coming to the event Sarah and thank you for always being so wonderful! Can't wait to see you in September for the Empire of Storms release! This was literally one of the best days ever! 

Throne of Glass: SJM Month Post 1

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Characters: Celaena, Chaol, Dorian, Nehemia
Setting: Erilea
Book Length: 404 pages
Summary: A trained assassin is given a difficult choice. Fight to become the king's champion or die in the salt mines of Endovier. Well, which would you choose? She is welcomed into the castle by the crown prince and the captain of the guard. But which one will really help her win this competition? 

Okay, so this is one of my favorite books... like ever. Maas draws you into the story with an interesting plot line and then holds you there with her complex characters. I have never read a story like this and the series just gets better from here! The way that magic is introduced is amazing and her plot twists are never what you expect! Maas is a great storyteller and she will leave you wanting more and more! 

Warning: Mild cursing and romance. Read at your own descretion. 

  5 out of 5 stars!
Drop what you are doing and go read this book!